Opening up a dusty copy of Radio & Records mag I see that the hot new radio entries for the week of February 15, 1974 include Paul McCartney & Wings, John Denver, Rick Derringer, and Carly Simon & James Taylor. Take your ears back 47 years and explore the up-and-coming tunes below.
Hot Songs Hittin’ The Radio Charts – February 15, 1974
I’m very pleased to have a nice quality animated Green Giant commercial for you today. As well as spots for Pepperidge Farm, Aspen Wagon, and Alka-Seltzer Plus.
George Harrison – Cow Palace, Daly City – November 7, 1974 By Alvan Meyerowitz
Thanks to a spotlight at Boing Boing, I’ve been made aware of 70s-era photographer Alvan Meyerowitz and his Instagram image archive. You’ll want to peruse these San Francisco-related shots from the swingin’ sixties and salty seventies at your leisure. There’s much to enjoy.
After that, jump over to Vox and read all about Great Expectations, the seventies dating service that utilized VCRs and video tapes to help you find a mate. Whatever will they think of next?!
Vox Quote: “Starting in February 1976, lonely people across Los Angeles drove to a windowless, one-room office on the 18th floor of a building in Century City — the first outpost in what would soon become a national dating franchise called Great Expectations. There, in a room crammed with two TVs, a set of chairs for interviewing, and a stack of cassette tapes, they stepped into the future of dating.”
Mascot Alert! There’s two fine examples of seventies media mascots on display in the latest batch of commercials; Charlie the Tuna and Morris the Cat.
And a reminder, there’s almost two thousand 70s spots to be found on the Bionic Disco YouTube channel. Don’t be afraid to use the search function on my channel and explore around for your favorite memories.
Polaroid OneStep commercial featuring James Garner & Mariette Hartley aired April 1979.
*Funny note about the above Polaroid spot: After watching it multiple times I realized you never see a two-shot of Garner and Hartley. I think they may have been shot separately for this one. Clever!
Dawn – featuring a mustache-free Tony Orlando (1971)
Let’s step into the DanceBack Machine and travel in reverse for 50 years. Upon arriving, we check Billboard‘s singles chart and explore the tunes riding the Top Ten.
The Week Of February 08, 1971
1. Dawn – “Knock Three Times”
2. The Osmonds – “One Bad Apple”
3. George Harrison – “My Sweet Lord”
4. Bee Gees – “Lonely Days”
5. Lynn Anderson – “Rose Garden”
6. Dave Edmunds – “I Hear You Knocking”
7. King Floyd – “Groove Me”
8. Elton John – “Your Song”
9. The Fifth Dimension – “One Less Bell To Answer”
10. Gladys Knight and the Pips – “If I Were Your Woman”
A fine selection of seventies soothers, but let me pick one from the above that may not live on as strongly in your memory. Ladies & gents, here are The Fifth Dimension with “One Less Bell To Answer”!
